Gators determined to advance against Flyers and their dreams of upset

Associated Press

Published 11:35 pm, Friday, March 28, 2014

The Dayton Flyers are feeling very confident and loose with the upsets they've already pulled this NCAA Tournament. They're also ready to wreck what's left of anyone's bracket with their greatest challenge ahead and a trip to the Final Four on the line.

Enter the Florida Gators, the overall top seed.

While the 11th-seeded Flyers already have exceeded expectations going into Saturday's South Regional final, the Gators are driven too. They talk of chasing greatness, trying to add to a 29-game winning streak that's the best in school history. Florida also is back in the Elite Eight having lost here the past three years.

"We're just very blessed and fortunate to be a team that can put themselves in this opportunity to play for a Final Four again," Florida senior Patric Young said Friday. "Going to prepare and do the best we can, especially as a senior class, because it's our last go-round to make it to that next step."

Note: Arizona's Sean Miller and Wisconsin's Bo Ryan are one win from their first trip to the Final Four. In the only 1-2 matchup in the Elite Eight, top-seeded Arizona will play No. 2 seed Wisconsin in the West Regional final on Saturday. The Wildcats (33-4) have not been able to get out of the regional in Anaheim in three previous tries, dating to 1998. With eight weeks at No. 1 and 21 straight victories during the season, they want to deliver for Miller. The Badgers (29-7) haven't been to the Final Four since 2000, shortly before Ryan took over in Madison. He turned 69 earlier this week, and the team is feeling a sense of urgency to deliver for a coach, who in the words of guard Josh Gasser, is "getting up there."